The Georgia congressional delegation currently boasts a trio of physicians — Tom Price, Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey — within its ranks. Savannah surgeon Bob Johnson would like to make it a foursome.

Johnson, a Savannah head and neck cancer surgeon who has never held elected office, formally announced his candidacy Saturday morning for the 1st Congressional District seat, making him the fourth Republican candidate to enter the race that will determine the successor to outgoing incumbent Jack Kingston.

Johnson, 63, made his initial announcement in front of about 25 people at the Chatham County Republican Party’s monthly Second Saturday breakfast meeting at the CCRP’s headquarters on East 73rd Street, and then embarked on campaign stops in Savannah, Brunswick and St. Mary’s to close out his first day in the race.

Johnson joins state Sen. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler), Isle of Hope native David Schwarz and Alma resident Darwin Carter in the race to succeed Kingston, who is leaving the House after 22 years to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Saxby Chambliss.

“I’ve been disturbed by what I’ve see in my country lately and by a lack of any progress by the federal government to solve our problems,” Johnson said before addressing the breakfast audience. “I think we need people to rise up that are not politicians, that are willing to get into the federal government, get their hands on the machinery of government and slow this down and turn it around.”

Johnson, an Illinois native who attended medical school at Oklahoma University and served 26 years in the U.S. Army, has lived in Savannah since 2001.

His campaign bio says he served as an Army Ranger, as well as heading a special medical response team in the Pacific rim. It also says he later served as an international consultant on disaster management and medical counter-terrorism.

He said he’s treated about 13,000 patients while practicing in Savannah.

“I’ve been campaigning for a long time now,” he told the assembled. “Now I’m willing to trade my patients for the citizens of the 1st District of Georgia.”

Johnson said he has gotten advice from Price about how to retain his practice during the campaign leading up to next year’s Republican primary, but would cease practicing medicine if elected to the seat being vacated by Kingston.

His campaign manager is local Republican activist Sheila Galbreath. Johnson said his campaign has hired the national Republican firm of Jamestown Associates, which lists New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and former South Carolina governor and U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford as clients, as his general consultant.